Railroad-crossing



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

RAILROAD GRQSSING.

Patented-001;. 25, 1887.

(No Model.) A 3 sheets-sheet'z.

A. MOKENNEY.

RAILROAD GRUSSING. l

Patented Oct. 25, 1887.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn c4 3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

(No Model.)

A. MGKENNEY.

RAILROAD CROSSING.

Patented 00h25 A tension bar or piston.

UNITED STATES PATENT y Ottica.

ALMERONYMOKENNEY, OF ENGLEWOOD, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,229, dated October25, 1887.

Application filed March 22. 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMEEON MCKENNEY, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at'Englewood, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in v.Railroad-Crossings;and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My improvementrelates to the class of railroad-crossings having onetrack, which, by being oscillated horizontally, after the manner ofarturo-table, to different angles, serves to form a-continuation of anyone of several intersecting tracks that the circumstances call for.

The features of novelty in my present improvement relate to theconstruction of the rails of the oscillatory crossing-track, to themeans immediately connected with the oscillatory table for actuating it,and to mechanism operated automatically by a wheel of a trainapproaching from either direction to bring the crossing-track, when outof position, in line with the track on which the train is running, butnot to disturb it if the crossing-track be in the right position for thepassage of the approaching train.

The most injurious effects to the rollingstock and danger to human lifein the use of crossings, generally,areprod ucedby thepounding over theends of the rails having spaces between them, the small wheels givingheavy blows as they jump from end to end of the adjacent rails,battering down the ends and tending to fracture the wheels or renderthem liable, by cracking, to subsequent fracture. It

, is my object to overcome this difficulty by providing a bevel towardthe end of each rail of the oscillatory crossing-track and acorrespending bevel toward the ends of the main track, whereby therolling-stock can move over the joints smoothly. While a crossing of theclass named and provided with my improvements may be actuated by hand, Iprefer that it shall vbe actuated automatically by a forward wheel ofthe locomotive or car; and to this end I provide peculiarmechanismconnected with the oscillatory crossing for accomplishing thepurpose, in the form of a spirally-anged rotary hollow cylindercontaining an automatically-reciprocating eXten- The flanged-cylindermechanism last referred to affords an appa- Serial No. 231,970. (Nomodel.)

ratus for utilizing the power of moving trains for various purposesother than that of automatically operating the oscillatory crossing-ghence I do not limit the same tosuch purpose. Among other purposes forwhich the actuating mechanism may be operated by the power of a movingtrain is that of pumping water or that of opening and closing gates oroperating signals, the object thereof being, in whatever connection itshall be used, to provide a primary medium for transmitting the power ofa passing train to such objects as it may be desired ultimately to actupon, and when the primary medium has once been obtained the subsequenttransmission of its power to other objects may generally be effected byknown mechanisms involving in their construction merely mechanicalskill.

My invention consists in the beveled construction of the ends of theoscillatory crossing-rails and corresponding form of the adjacent endsof the rails of the main track.

My invention further consists in various details of construction andcombinations of parts, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my improved railway-crossingwith the automatic actuating device shown only in part; Fig. 2, asimilar View of the same showing the automatic actuating device, but notthe crossing, in full; Fig. 3, a similar view of the same showing thepiston and rod drawn forward to their full limit; Fig. 4, a detachedview in perspective of the anged cylinder and its appurtenances; Fig. 5,a longitudinal section ofthe cylinder and appurtenances taken on theline 5 of Fig. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 6, atransverse section taken in the line 6 6 of Fig. 2 and viewed in thedirection of the arrows, and Fig. 7 a transverse section taken intheline 7 7 of Fig. 3 and viewed inthe direction of the arrows.

An oscillatory table, A, is mounted upon a central pivot, 1^, ,at theintersection of the tracks B and B, and upon opposite sides of thistable two rail-sections, C, are rmly secured, each as long as the widthof the crossing and beveled on its extremities, as shown at w, wherebythey may be caused to form a continuation of any one of the intersectingmain tracks B B', correspondingly beveled at the vextremities of therails, as shown at y,

ICD

by turning the table to the proper position. Combined with theoscillatory table and railsections are several bars, D, each pivoted tothe table near the edge thereof and extending therefrom along a rail ofone of the main tracks. Each bar D is pivoted to thetable in suchposition that it extends farther back along its rail when the rails ofthe crossing lic across that track, when, if the bar is pushed forwardin the direction of the table, it turns the latter around one-fourth ofa revolution to bring the crossing-rails in line with the track alongwhich such pushing-bar extends. At the terminations of the mainrails-*at the crossing, where they are beveled, as aforesaid, and meetat right angles, as shownthey are firmly braced together by means offishplates q, the one on the outside being bent at an angle to extendalong the two rails.

As I do not claim as myinvention the oscillatory turntable, which isold, in crossings of the class to which my improvement relates, furtherdescription of its construction is not required than to say that asubstantial foundation must be provided to support it.

E is a hollow cylinder lying parallel with the rail and mounted, bymeans ofjournals, in bearings F, firmly secured on the roadbcd, wherebyit is free to revolve.

G is a helical flange upon the exterior of the cylinder, preferablyV-shaped, with which thetlange of a passing wheel engages and upon whichit travels, thus causing the cylinder to revolve.

H is a piston-head fitting closely within the cylinder E, and providedon one side with a frictionroller, p, secured to it by means of a screwor bolt, o, or in any other convenient manner, which friction-rollerenters a helical slot, n, in the cylinder, serving as a guide.

Of course an internal groove would serve the same purpose as the slot;and, if desired, more than one helical guide may be formed.

I is a pistonrod rigidly fixed to the pistonhcad and extending outthrough one of the journals, m,which is made hollow for the purpose. Theother journal, m', may be solid.

The operation of my device will be understood from the following: Theend of the piston-rod I is jointed to the bar D in such manner that itcannot turn with the cylinder E. If, now, a train approaches thecrossing along, say, the lower track (shown in Fig. l of the drawings)the flange of the foremost wheel, upon reaching the cylinder E, engageswith the flange G, and in its progress along the same turns thecylinder. The piston-head H being secured against rotation, the turningof the cylinder incidentally causes the frictionroller-p to travel alongthe helical slot n, thus driving the pistonrod forward, and with it thebar D, thus turning the platform A a quarter of a revolution and causingthe rail-sections C to form continuations of the other track. Of coursethe adjustment may be such as to adapt the crossing to tracksintersecting at acute angles as well as to those intersecting at rightangles, as shown in the drawings, and my improved flanged-cylindermechanism may be also adapted to the operation of switches. A cylinder,E, and its connections with the turn-table being provided in properposition along a rail of each main track, a movement of any piston-rodproduces a corresponding relative movement upon the piston and rod onthe opposite side of the crossing on the sametrack and a contrary'relative movement upon the pistons and rods on the other tracks. Thuswhen the piston-rods are forced out by the passage of a train along theobstructed track, thereby turning the platform to remove theobstruction, they are by the same act forced into the cylinders upon theother tracks and this forcing in serves to turn the cylinder back to theposition in which the wheel of a passing train will engage with thehelical flange.

It is ofcourse necessary to make provision whereby the wheels of a trainpassing along a track with which the crossingrails C are alreadyin lineshall notengage the helical fiange G, but shall only engage the fiangewhen the crossing-rails are in a position to obstruct the track. This isaccomplished by having the helical flange G fall short of a completeeircuit of the cylinder. The effect of such construction will be clearfrom an inspection of Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings. Fig. 6 shows theposition of the flange when the cylinder is in the position representedin Figs. l and 2 that is to say, when the track along which it lies isobstructed by the crossing-rail. A wheel meeting the liange and passingalong it leaves it in the position represented in Fig` 7 of thedrawings, which is also that shown in Fig. 3, when, as will be seen,trains may pass either way without encountering the flange. rIhe act ofturning the cylinders on one track from the position shown in Figs. 1,2, and 6 to that shown in Figs. 3 and 7, incidentally, by pushing in thenon-rotary piston-rods of the cylinder on the other track, turns thelatter, through the medium of the friction-roller and slot, from theposition represented in Figs. 3 and 7 to that represented in Figs. 1, 2,and 6. Thus whenever the rail-sections of the crossing are in a positionto, obstruct a track the iianges of the cylinders on that track are in aposition to be acted ou by the wheels of an approaching train to turnthe rail-sections out ot' the way, while, on the other hand, wheneverthe railsections of the crossing are in line with the track, the flangesof the cylinder on that track are in such a position as to be cleared bythe wheels of a passing train.

As represented in the drawings, the cylin der is shown as placed uponthe inside of the rail,whereby the fiange G is acted upon by the flangeofthe wheel. It is obvious, however, that it may be placediupon theoutside ofthe rail, whereby the flange shall be acted upon by the treadof the wheel.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isM

l. In a railway-crossing, the combination of IIO an oscillatoryplatform, A, and two rail-sections, C, secured to the said platform onopposite sides of the center and beveled at their extremities, andconverging main tracks beveled at their extremities to correspond withthe bevels on the said rail-sections, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In arailwayl-crossing, the combination of an oscillatory platform, A,two railseotions, C, secured to the said platform on opposite sides ofthe center and beveled at their extremities, converging main tracksbeveled at their extremities t'o correspond with the bevels in the saidrail-sections, and abar, D, pivoted to the platform near its edge,toextend therefrom along a rail of a main track, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. The con1bination,with arail of arailwaytrack, of a rotary hollowcylinder mounted in bearings and lying parallel with the rail andprovided with an exterior helical flange and an interior helical guide,a piston-head within the cylinder provided with a projection enteringthe guide, anda piston-rod rigidly fixed to the piston and projectingthrough one of the journals of the cylinder, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

4. In a railway-crossing, the combination, with an oscillatory platform,A,having two rail-sections, C, secured thereon on opposite sides ofthecenter, of bars D, pivoted to the platform near its edge, to extendtherefrom along the rails of the main tracks, rotating hollovtrcylinders mounted in bearings and lying parallel with the said rails andprovided with exterior helical flanges and interior helical guides, andpistonheads within the cylinders provided with projections entering theguides, and piston-rods rigidly fixed to the pistons and proj eetingthrough journals of the cylinder and jointed to the adjacent ends of thebars D, substantially as `and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a railway-crossing, the combination of an oscillatory platform, A,two railsections, C, secured to the platform on opposite sides of thecenter and beveled at their extremities, converging main tracks beveledat their extremities to correspond with the bevels on the saidrail-sections, bars D, pivoted to the platform near its edge, to extendtherefrom along the rails of the main tracks, rotating hollow cylindersmounted in bearings and lying parallel with the said rails and providedwith exteriorhelical flanges and interiorhelical guides, andpiston-heads Within the cylinder provided with projections entering theguides, and piston-rods rigidly xed to the pistons and projectingthroughjournals of the cylinders and jointedto the adjacent ends of thebars D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. ALMERON MCKEN NEY. In presence of FRANK L. DOUGLAS, J. W. DYRENFORTH.

